Sick (Sam)

[Evangeline Irvine]

It wasn't a mystery why Eva was ill. After all, she'd spent almost all her life on Beta Cygni, a water planet, and the air on the Venia was just as dry as any other space-craft. Though she had her humidifier, she usually had only had need to use it for a day or two and then she'd be back home. But she had been on the Venia for a while now, so, yes, her physical illness was to be expected.

That she felt mentally sick as well, however, was not expected, though it really wasn't much of a mystery either. Everything here was foreign to her, and she knew that it would take quite some time for her to feel like she truly fit in. For one, she'd worked for R4. That was enough to make the crew distrust her. Second, she was a telepath. Though Sean had been her brother, she was nothing like him--that much was obvious.

What really made her realize she was a stranger here was the way the crew interacted and behaved on a day to day basis. With R4, she'd been encouraged to keep to the shadows whenever possible, even when in a safe environment, and people rarely spoke with her unless it was about a mission. But here, she received a various amount of "morning"s and "hey there"s throughout the day, however distracted they might be, and curious or suspicious looked when she kept to the walls while walking down corridors.

In the hopes of solving at least one of her problems, Eva spent a good hour or so essentially drowning herself in steam in the shower-room. When she was mostly able to breathe again--hot showers worked wonders on one's sinuses--she headed back to her room and changed into something a little more comfortable. Then, filling her humidifier with water, she brought it back to her bed and curled up next to it.

"This," she heaved dramatically, sniffling, "absolutely sucks."

[Sam O'Connor]

Days off were rare for Sam. This was his third since he'd come aboard the Venia, and he'd spent the vast majority of it doing nothing. Nothing. Ahhhh, it felt good. Unlike other people, he had absolutely no problem doing bugger all with his time. Of course, most of the time, he was busy, and glad to be, but after working his arse off for weeks now, doing nothing was welcomed and very relaxing.

Sam was currently lounging in his room, his hands behind his head, breathing in and out rhythmically, occasionally humming to himself. He had wondered whether he should find somebody to hang out with, but Zoe was busy with work, and he hadn't seen Eva in a while. Come to think of it, where was Eva? Pursing his lips, he swung his legs off the edge of the bed and clambered onto his feet, heading out into the common room and over to Eva's room. The question was, was she in even there?

Sniff.

Well, that was a yes. Either that, or someone with a cold had stowed away in her room. Knocking on the door, he waited a moment before saying, "Evy, you okay?"

[Evangeline Irvine]

There was a knock at the door, and for a moment Eva was tempted to pretend to be asleep so that whoever it was would go away. But the waves coming off the person weren't urgent, just curious, and the voice that spoke then confirmed her suspicion of who it might be. Heaving a sigh, Eva slithered morosely away from the humidifier and wandered over to the door, running a hand through her wet, and therefore unruly, hair.

"Hey Sam," she called back out, sniffling again as she tapped the controls to open the door. Once it was open, she stepped back, a silent invitation for him to come inside if he wanted to. Turning, she then made back for her bed and sat down on top of the comforter, pulling her legs up under her. "How're you today?" That was pretty rich, coming from her. "Better than me, clearly. Day off, I assume? Good for you."

Coughing weakly, she fell back next to the humidifier and rolled her neck to look at him. "So, what's up?" Not that it wasn't possible he'd simply come to see her because he could, she had to keep that in mind. Not everything had to do with business. At least the question was general enough that he could answer in whatever manner he felt fit.

[Sam O'Connor]

There was a brief silence before Eva replied, which sort of said she was considering not bothering. And from the way she sounded, he wouldn't have blamed her. However, she did reply, and when the door slid open, Sam wondered if there was ever a moment where Eva didn't look gorgeous. "Hey," he said with a more timid smile than usual, "you're alive, that's a relief." Well, he couldn't help at least a small joke.

Sam, of course, followed her inside, closing the door behind him. There wasn't really a way to get an answer in edgeways with her spiel, so he waited for a moment, rocking back and forth with his hands in his back pockets until her final question. "Well, I figured I hadn't seen you in a while, so I'd see how you were. Then I heard you sniffing up a storm, and just had to knock on your door."

Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, he looked down at her. "How are you doing? Seems like more than just a case of the sniffles?" He hadn't seen her like this before; not the strong, independent Eva who held her head high and with pride, but the tired, sick Eva huddled around her humidifier.

[Evangeline Irvine]

"Ah yes," Eva joked when Sam explained why he was here, "I've heard my sniffles are very alluring. What man could resist the sound of a stuffed-up nose?" He sat down on the bed next to her, and she offered him a small smile. It was nice to have a friend who didn't shy away because she was ill--not that this cold was contagious anyway. It was entirely her own. How lovely was that?

His question made her sigh a little, and she took a moment to stretch, her back arching like a cat's, before answering him. "I don't know how you people can stand the air on this ship. Everything is so dry," she whined, coughing again as if to accentuate her point. Reaching above her head, she felt around her bed-side table until she found her tissue-box and pulled it down to her side.

"Unless, of course, you're referring to the fact that I don't seem to be qu... qu-quite..." She pulled a tissue to her face just in time to sneeze, and grimaced as her eyes watered in response. "Damn. Well, as I was saying, if you're referring to the fact that I'm not myself, don't worry about it. It's... well..." Hell, he was her friend, right? She could tell him, couldn't she? "It has to do with R4."

[Sam O'Connor]

"It's so sexy," he nodded fervently, "you didn't see, but my tongue was lolling out of my mouth and I pretty much drooled my way across the common room." He gave her a grin. He could always be trusted to cheer people up when they were down, it was part of his charm. But he understood when there was a need to be serious, and he would be if she needed him too. But otherwise, giggles all the way.

With a slight chuckle, he said, "I honestly don't know. The air on this ship is drier than the Sahara." Not that he'd ever been to the Sahara, but, you know. "When you're used to rainy, rainy Northern Ireland, where a cagoule is handed to each child at birth, a ship like this where there is no weather whatsoever is a big change." Despite the sunshine, Beta Cygni had been quite humid - all that water - so he couldn't blame her for finding it hard to adjust.

"Yes, that was more what I was referring to," Sam admitted, nodding a little. Glancing over his shoulder, he shifted back so that his back was against the wall, and patted her slipper clad feet gently. "Well, I am Sam 'Agony Aunt' O'Connor," he said, with a smile, before adding seriously, "you can tell me if you want. These ears weren't gifted to me for nothing."

[Evangeline Irvine]

"Yep, that's me!" Eva said, smirking. "Miss Sexy Sniffles, at your service." Though she had started out giggling, it turn in a cough part way through and she had to clear her throat a couple of times to avoid falling into a fit. Having someone around for a laugh was always nice--but it was even nicer when you weren't in danger of choking up your lungs in the process. She scowled a little internally.

Sam was able to relate with her situation, apparently, agreeing that the ship was too dry for his liking as well. "You probably survived by downing soups and herbal teas, didn't you?" she noted, thinking of how he spent most of his time in the kitchen. Food would probably be good for her, actually--so long as it had a high water-content. But she could worry about that later.

She watched as he shifted back against the wall, and after a moment she rolled up and shuffled over to sit next to him, bringing her humidifier with her. "To be honest, I guess I'm feeling something akin to home-sickness, though I'd never want to go back to R4," she admitted. "I knew the people there, I fit in. Nobody looked at me like I was different, or frightening, or repulsive. I was just... Eva."

Playing with the settings on her humidifier for a moment, she then leaned back and glanced at him with a small smile. "Don't get me wrong, I know that most of the crew has gotten used to me. These are good people. But... I'm still a stranger here. Something tells me I always will be." Wow. She was laying it on thick. Clearing her throat, she shook her head to clear it. "Sorry to unload all of that on you. Really, like I said, it's nothing. I'm sure it's just the cold messing with my head."

[Sam O'Connor]

"Well, at the very least, we have a new nickname for you," he said, "or codename. Expect calls from me from the kitchen requesting the presence of Miss Sexy Sniffles to help rectify a souffle disaster." He reached over and rubbed her back a little as she coughed, without really thinking about it. As he drew his hand away, he wondered whether he'd overstepped a boundary there, or whether she was okay with it. If she wasn't, he was sure she'd karate chop his hand away or something.

Nodding, he said, "well it is handy when you have a chef at your disposal," he smiled, "we can whip you up something in no time at all. And even though you probably can't taste the difference right now, I can assure you, my soups are much better than the biosynthesisers. Even if it gives me a run for my money." That last part was sarcastic. No matter how much the engineers tried, nothing could compare to real food cooked by a chef, even if he did say so himself.

Sam listened to her, nodding as she spoke, but keeping quiet. He imagined everyone felt homesickness to different degrees being on a ship like this, away from their familes and home for months, sometimes even years at a time. But with Eva it was different, the people on the ship were predisposed to be suspicious of her because of her previous affiliation with R4. Except for him, of course. "If it helps any, I still think of you as the 14 year old leggy blonde girl who dunked me in the sea and fed me milk and cookies," he joked, nudging her arm gently.

"You'll always have one person here who trusts you," he said sincerely, "no matter what." He smiled down at her, looking into those blue eyes of hers. He wasn't usually this close with people, other than Zoe, but they'd had two years of bickering and teasing to become like siblings. Sam and Eva only really had the day on Beta Cygni and the time on board the Venia - if he didn't include all the years fantasising about what might happen if he saw her again. "I'm glad R4 sent you here," he said, "otherwise I might never have seen you again. At least they did something right, hmm?"

[Evangeline Irvine]

Sam's hand on her back was nice; soothing. It did absolutely nothing for her cough, but it was comforting all the same, and she was grateful for that. Through all of this, Sam was the sole person who she could trust, and she knew she was lucky to have him. She smiled to herself a little at that. He didn't judge her--not without good reason, at the very least. She'd never had anyone like that before.

"Oh, I don't doubt that your cooking is better than a biosynthesizer's," she assured him, wrinkling her nose. She'd made the mistake of using one on her first night, not wanting to sneak into he kitchen for a late night snack. That goop couldn't pass itself off as food even if it tried--which, clearly, it didn't. But even if she hadn't, she would have believed him--his cooking was absolutely phenomenal.

She was glad that Sam gave her the chance to vent everything, even if it truly was more than he'd bargained for. His following comment made her smile, and she gently shoved his shoulder to retaliate his nudge to her arm. "Thanks, Sam," she said honestly, staring down at her hands for a moment before looking up and meeting his eyes. She'd never noticed how brown they were before.

"I suppose this does put one vote in their favour, yes," Eva concurred, shifting again and resting her head on his shoulder. It was comfortable there, huddled against his side, her humidifier nearby to keep the air breathable. "To think, I might've spent today crawling through vents to eaves-drop on some big court discussion or at a museum to steal a priceless artifact otherwise."

[Sam O'Connor]

Sam couldn't help but grin a little as she wrinkled her nose, it was adorable. To be fair, all of his comments about biosynthesisers were based on assumptions and hearsay from other people, he'd never (knowingly) had anything from one. Ever since he'd learned to cook, even if he'd been ill, he'd always made food for himself. He was old-fashioned in that respect. Technology didn't necessarily make everything better. He always cooked with a proper oven, not one of these machines that could cook a leg of lamb in about two seconds flat. It was rustic, cooking the old way, and judging by what everyone said, tasted a lot better. He'd be sure to make Eva a bowl of his tomato and herb soup later.

"You're welcome," he smiled softly. He watched as she nestled her head into his shoulder, and he reached across, tickling the palm of her hand before entwining his fingers with hers. There was something different about doing this with Eva, and he wasn't really sure why. Maybe it was because he hadn't known her for as long or something. Or more, he didn't know her as well as he knew Zoe. But they had time for that. It wasn't like the UGAP would be kicking her off the ship, the Venia was probably the safest place for her.

"But instead, you're curled up in bed with your humidifier, how glamourous you are Miss Sexy Sniffles," he chuckled, squeezing her hand. "At least you know you're in for a dose of Portaferry's best tomato soup later, that's got to make things just a tiny bit better. And you look very attractive in those slippers." He tilted his head back against the wall, expecting some sort of retaliation after that comment.

[Evangeline Irvine]

Eva's hand spasmed a little when Sam tickled her palm, and she snickered quietly in response. He then wove his fingers between hers, and she grinned to herself, appreciating the warmth of his hand in hers. Only very dimly did she register that there was a slight shyness in her grip as she squeezed his fingers in return, and she dismissed it as a part of her cold. What reason could she have to be timid around Sam, of all people?

She hummed in amusement at his remark, tempted to jab him the ribs. For whatever reason, however, she decided not to. "True, but the humidifier is a necessity until I can adapt properly to this ship. Well, unless I want to put a realistic spin on 'Drop Dead Diva' or whatever," she added, waving her free hand through the air as if doing so would brush the comment away.

"Mmm, tomato soup," Eva repeated, a smile in her voice, "That sounds absolutely wonderful." At his comment her eyes wandered down to her feet and she wiggled her toes experimentally, snorting. "So not only do I have sexy sniffles, but sexy slippers, huh?" she asked playfully, rolling her head back on his shoulder to look at him.

He seemed to be waiting for something--an admonition for what he'd said, perhaps, or some sort of jest to even the score. But she couldn't find the will to muster anything beyond what she'd already said, choosing instead to burrow into his side. This was nice, she decided, simply spending time with someone. No wonder other people enjoyed it so much.

"You know, if you're not careful, I may fall asleep on you," she teased, closing her eyes. "Unless you really want to serve as a pillow for the next couple of hours, you'd best keep me talking." She didn't really care about what; her history with R4, her hobbies--hell, he could ask her about her favourite movies if he wanted.

[Sam O'Connor]

Sam snickered a little at what Eva said. "Well, if it's a necessity, then maybe we'll strap it to you somehow so you can move and breathe at the same time. Make it into a bum bag or something," he smirked as he said it, finding the imagery of Eva wandering around with the humidifier attached to her lower back rather amusing. "Or a shoulder bag," he added innocently, "it can double up as a weapon if people are blocking the door to the mess hall and you're desperate for some of my food."

"Then you shall have some soon," he nodded, thinking he'd make some as soon as this chat was done. He'd wait for a natural break in the conversation, obviously. He wouldn't just run out, arms flailing, mid-sentence. He laughed at the sexy slippers quip. "Well, by extension, your slippers must be sexy too," he agreed, "and everything else, if it's worn by you. You could make a tea cosy look sexy, I'm sure," he teased her, grinning down at her.

With a chuckle, Sam said, "well, not that you falling asleep on me is a bad thing, but maybe it is best if we find a topic of conversation." He hummed a tune for a moment to signal that he was thinking, then sighed. "Okay, I'm going to be lame and suggest this; you can ask me any three questions about anything and I have to answer honestly, no exceptions. And vice versa. Deal?"

[Evangeline Irvine]

Eva arched her eyebrow coyly at Sam's analysis of what all she could make look sexy. Though it was simply all in good fun, she found herself feeling rather adulated. At least, with her head tucked under his chin the way it was, he couldn't see her blush, even if it was only mildly. "That depends on what all I'm using the tea cozy for, doesn't it?" she joked. "I think wearing it as a hat would reward me with looks questioning my sanity, don't you?"

Now off the topic of tea cozies, they both lapsed into silence as they tried to think of something to talk about. Well, almost silence--Sam was humming softly, some tune Eva couldn't name but rather liked. Unfortunately, it was making her doze off a little. His sweet Irish lilt pulled her back to consciousness, and she grinned at his proposition. "Sounds fair," she consented with a nod. "Shall I go first?"

She fell into silence again, but this time she didn't drift off. What could she ask him? There were so many things to choose from. "What was it like, having an at least relatively normal life growing up?" Okay, so growing up with your grandparents because your mother got your father pregnant and then ran off, leaving him to die during your birth, and then turning out to be a telekinetic wasn't exactly 'normal'.

But growing up with people who loved you, going to school, and having friends--that was normal. And what with the childhood she'd had, it was all like a fairytale to her. Nice to think about, but entirely impossible to experience.

[Sam O'Connor]

Eva had a point there. "Come to think of it, if you were wearing it as a shoe, or anywhere else, they'd probably start prepping the straight jacket. Let's forget I said anything, shall we?" He dragged a two fingers across his lips, signalling that he was zipping them shut. It was a pretty crazy comment to begin with, and he hadn't been able to see her reaction. Maybe he should zip it for a bit, or keep at least a smidgen of sanity to his words, that would work.

It was sort of assumed that she would go first, and he raised his eyebrows slightly at her question. "You're asking the half alien with telekinetic powers about having a normal life?" he said with a slight chuckle, before shifting a little into a more comfortable position, Eva's head still cuddled against him. "Well, it was pretty good. My Grandparents were great, they treated me like their own son really, took care of me, made sure I didn't get roughed up too badly. School was fun for the most part. I was above average in my class, so instantly a target for bullies. But I managed to escape most of the bad stuff."

"I suppose there's not much wrong with being a young boy, other than you can be a right idiot sometimes, and the raging hormonal teenage years of course, they were fun." Especially when you had absolutely nothing to satisfy those hormones. He'd had a crush or two, but nothing had ever come of it. "My Grandparents always taught me to be mature, so I grew up pretty fast. I went straight from school to a job in my Uncle's restaurant. I've been cooking non-stop ever since."

Smiling slightly, he said, "I think that answered your question." Now it was his turn to ask her a question. If he'd gone first, he would have wasted his first question on something stupid like 'what's your favourite colour?' But now, he figured he should probably think of a proper question. "Where do you think you would be now if your parents had kept you and R4 hadn't taken you in? Would you prefer that future?" He didn't know whether that was two questions or one, if it was two, he'd accept that.

[Evangeline Irvine]

"Yup, that's right--the psychotic telepath is asking the half-alien telekinetic about a normal childhood," Eva laughed. "I suppose neither of us can really relate to 'normal', can we?" And yet, Sam managed to come pretty close. She listened to him silently, soaking in each word and nodding now and again to show she'd heard him.

The question he fired back made her pause, but then she sighed and pulled away from him--as much as she honestly didn't want to--and slid off the bed. Smiling back at him to let him know he hadn't done anything wrong, she traipsed over to her desk and opened one of the drawers, rifling through it until she found the latch that opened the secret-compartment below its bottom. There, stashed away neatly, was the folder Louise had given her before Theo had taken her to the R4 facility.

Pulling it out, she came back to the bed and crawled up next to Sam again, settling back in. "These are my parents here," she said as she took his hand again, flipping the folder open and revealing the files on Mr and Mrs Irvine. "My mother, Olivia, is a photographer. A good one, too, if the pictures I've found by her are any judge. As for my father, his name's George. He's a baseball coach, traveling the galaxy with that team of his."

"I used to use R4's resources to check up on them now again," she admitted sheepishly, touching the edge of her father's portrait. "You know, making sure they were all right in terms of money and health. I've never actually met them in person--I'm too afraid to. But they seem like good people." Now, to actually answer his question. "If my parents had managed to keep me hidden from R4, I suppose I'd be traveling with them. Maybe I'd've grown up to be a dancer, rather than a spy."

At that, she glanced up at him again and noted, "I said I'd give you a demonstration one of these days, didn't I?" With a shrug, she let it go. "Anyway... I honestly can't say whether or not I would have preferred that future. I mean, sure, I might have grown up closer to being normal, but, really... can you picture me as a suburban house-wife?"

She grimaced a little at that before adding in a teasing tone, "Besides, if I hadn't lived with Louise, I wouldn't have met you, and we've already decided that that was a good thing. Unless you're changing your mind now?" After giving his hand a friendly squeeze, she continued, deciding to ask a lighter question this time. "Tell me, what's the best Christmas present you've ever gotten?"